Fidelis In Aeternum
by MaraYeelzor
Summary: "There is magic in you, Lady Sigyn. You merely require the right teacher." AU to the MCU, adding Sigyn into the mix. Loki/Sigyn
1. Chapter 1

Basically I started writing this because I got tired of Loki being one of two polar opposites in fic, and Sigyn...well, I had my own ideas about what exactly 'fidelity' could mean in a person. I hope I found a happy medium, and if I haven't, I welcome any constructive feedback :)

I don't own any of the characters in this fic, no matter how much I wish I did.

* * *

Dancing, Sigyn was certain, must have been originally intended as a form of torture. From her childhood she had never been very good at dancing. So, when the rude Lord who did not even bother to introduce himself grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out to the dance floor, she tried to pull away. Yet despite her protests, he would not listen. Really he had been inviting disaster.

If she were not already annoyed, perhaps she would also have been laughing when she tripped and knocked them both to the ground. Any notion of amusement, though, was crushed when the cretin got up and walked away without even looking back at her. The laughter that erupted around them only fed her irritation further.

A hand appeared to her right, shaking from the laughter seizing Lofn, her sister. Ignoring the proffered hand, she lifted herself up. "Not that I would have accepted his help, but a simple acknowledgement of my existence would have been nice. Especially after he dropped me to the ground so rudely."

"Oh, please," Lofn huffed with a roll of her eyes. "You know that was entirely your own fault. The embodiment of grace and poise you are not."

"My lack of skill on the dance floor aside, you must admit that was quite rude." With any luck the glare she offered to his retreating back would cause him to spontaneously combust.

The crowd that had formed when they fell had begun to dissipate with the exception of one or two nobles still staring at her and smirking.

"You seem to have caught someone else's attention." Lofn inclined her head toward the head of the room where both princes were looking her way, not even bothering to hide their amusement. Thor looked positively lecherous, a sure sign that the Allfather and Queen would be retiring soon. Whenever they retired, the festivities lost any pretense at formality and politeness.

"Lovely," she muttered. "He's seen up my skirt, hasn't he?"

"Half of Asgard has now," Lofn smirked. "And so what? He's the prince! If he finds you later tonight, I say accept the honour."

Sigyn cringed at the thought. Not that Thor was unattractive. And he did indeed have wealth and power. But to her mind, he had a personality she simply could not overlook. "And what? Become his concubine?" she bit back.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know it isn't," Sigyn sighed.

Casting an eye around the room, she continued, "when was the last time you even tried to find a suitor?"

"Who would have me? Look around, Lofn. Compare me to literally every other unwed woman in here. I'm not stunningly attractive," she began listing.

"You're not exactly a horror either."

"I can't be bothered to spend hours on makeup and dress every single day to be so," she continued as though Lofn had not spoken. "I'm not a passable dancer. I don't care for the affectations of court. Every time one of the Lords of court tries to spend any amount of time with me, that happens," she groused as she pointed to the dance floor. "I'm not high on the list of women to court. Five thousand years from now I'll be the insane old woman taking care of the royal stables."

A sense of dread built itself up in Sigyn's stomach as she watched Lofn worry her lip between her teeth, obviously battling over whether to say what was on her mind. Just as her sister's mouth opened, a voice called their names and they both turned to see their mother approaching. Even though she knew Lofn would try again later, Sigyn breathed a sigh of relief at the temporary reprieve.

When their father walked right past her with no acknowledgement beyond an irritated glance, it was hard not to cringe. Iwaldi had worked hard to shed the derisive comments that came with being a dwarf in Asgard. When Freya had wed him, that had helped. And his skills in the forge had earned him respect from the royal family. But there were those who still looked upon him as though he did not belong, and having Sigyn act as improperly as she did, however inadvertently, was no help. She knew all this, yet it still hurt when her father gave her that look.

Nonetheless she forced a smile as she greeted her mother. "Leaving already?"

Freya's smile was enough to lighten the mood. "You know how your father feels about the parties after the Allfather leaves." Thankfully they would not be taking the carriage and leaving her and Lofn to find their own way home to the countryside. Every banquet they stayed at the residence Iwaldi had purchased in town to trade his weapons from.

"Is it the same way he feels when I act as I just did on the dance floor?" she grimaced. At the reproachful look on her mother's face she forced a smile. "I apologize, mother."

"Enjoy the celebration." A quick embrace, a kiss on the cheek, a whispered assurance that her father did indeed love her, and Freya followed her husband out the door.

A young man carrying a tray of wine passed close by, and Sigyn grabbed two glasses from him. "Here's to enjoying the celebration," she muttered with a salute to Lofn. Quickly downing one glass and placing it back on the tray, she dismissed the servant.

"Keep that up," Lofn laughed, "and you may just end up bedding a prince with no memory of it come the morning."

An hour later, Sigyn was left standing alone at the side of the hall. Drunken revelers surrounded her, knocking into her and making lewd comments. Lofn was nowhere to be found. Last she had seen her sister, she was going to fetch more wine for the both of them. When Lofn had not returned after a quarter of an hour, Sigyn thought it safe to assume she had found company for the evening. It was not as though she had been abandoned purposely. Under normal circumstances Lofn had a horrid memory, but give her enough wine and a party, and she had the attention span of a small child.

On the plus side, this meant that come the dawn Lofn would have forgotten all about their earlier conversation and life could carry on as normal.

She cast a glance to Thor, Loki, and their companions at the table at the head of the hall. Tonight was in celebration of their return from a glorious battle in Nornheim. They would drink and dance and seek out company for the night as they did after every successful campaign. She would bet that they had seen nearly all nine realms!

Meanwhile, she had barely seen even half of Asgard.

It occurred to her that the stars would look differently on each world they had visited. How she wished to see those stars for herself.

Another servant passed her with a wine tray, and she grabbed a glass. Perhaps after this glass, she would leave. It was not as though Lofn needed her to get home. Honestly, Lofn was probably not coming home and she would once again have to lie for her sister.

As she circled around the outskirts of the hall, she caught snippets of conversation from soldiers who had gone with the princes and their companions. Some stories were plausible, some less so. By far, though, her favourite was the dimwitted Lady enthralled by the stories her soldier told of defeating the Frost Giants in Nornheim. Well-travelled she may not be, but at least she had enough sense to know Nornheim was not home to the Jotun and that the battle had been with rock trolls. Hopefully the woman was simply too drunk and would have realized her error under different circumstances. Though that would not stop Sigyn from laughing at her tonight.

"You do not fear the Frost Giants, Lady Sigyn?" Thor's amused voice sounded behind her.

Turning around, she prayed that wherever Lofn was she was not looking. "The Frost Giants in Nornheim?" She could not keep the skepticism from her features.

The prince laughed off her sarcasm. "That was quite the graceful tumble you took on the dance floor earlier," he tried another route.

"Yes, it seems to have amused all except the oaf who left me to pick myself up." Another long draught from her wine glass and her drink was gone.

The prince happily supplied another glass. "Clearly the gentleman did not know how to treat a lady."

Sigyn rolled her eyes. "And you're going to use that as an opening to tell me you do?"

Thor's grin was blindingly bright as he held out his hand to her. "Allow me to show you."

A million thoughts flooded Sigyn's mind, but first and foremost was that she was glad her father had already left and most of the revellers around her were too drunk to be paying much attention. "I am sorry, My Prince, but I don't think the amount of wine I have consumed since my last dance will have improved my coordination any."

Not missing a beat at the rejection he tried again, his smile becoming more suggestive. "Perhaps another kind of dance."

Sigyn hoped her amusement did not shine through her polite smile. Regardless of whether Lofn was watching, there was every possibility rumour would spread and come the following day she would hear no end of it no matter her decision. In her mind she heard her sister's voice encouraging her. "Again, I am sorry but I must decline."

The prince did not even bat an eyelash at the second declination. "Perhaps the Lady prefers rousing conversation over a good dance?"

"I am definitely better equipped for conversation," she agreed.

"Good." Before she could process what was happening the mischievously grinning prince had taken hold of her arm and was dragging her across the dance floor, through the couples both graceful and drunken. It was a miracle to Sigyn that she had not knocked any of them over. Perhaps Thor could have shown her how to dance better than the rude oaf.

At last they came to a stop in front of the younger prince of Asgard, who looked just as perplexed as she felt. "Thor, what have I told you about kidnapping?"

Sigyn fought to stop herself from smiling.

"You recall Freya and Iwaldi's other daughter, Lady Sigyn," he introduced her.

"Milady," Loki inclined his head in a partial bow.

"She seeks scintillating conversation over dancing," Thor continued speaking as though she somehow could not hear him.

"Lovely," the younger prince sighed.

"Lady Sigyn," Thor turned back to her, "may I present my brother Loki."

"My Prince," she courtseyed.

Turning back to Loki, Thor continued, "I told you I would find a heifer for my little cow. May she find your company more stimulating than she did mine." The crown prince threw his brother a wink and danced off to seek company with the nearest Lady.

The implication caused her cheeks to flare, embarrassment and anger flashing through her veins. As though she could simply be pawned off as a prize!

Calmly as she could, she turned to the younger prince. "My Prince, I apologize. I'm afraid your brother has misinterpreted my intentions for the evening. I must return to our residence in the city as my father will likely require assistance at his shop in the morning. It was lovely to see both you and your brother again."

Without even waiting for a reply, Sigyn beat a hasty retreat from the banquet hall. An hour later she was laying in bed with her cheeks still flushed from the encounter.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Sigyn's anger had not abated any. As she sat in the shop on the lower level of their home, she filed the edges of a dagger with a whetstone. Beside her Lofn used a polishing cloth to bring a shine to one of the many swords that decorated the shop. When Iwaldi was busy in the smaller forge in the back of the shop, it was best not to disturb him, so both she and Lofn would help out any who wanted trade with him.

"A heifer!" she groused again.

"You've repeated that so many times now I've lost count, Sigyn," Lofn laughed. "You may be the only woman in all Asgard to ever reject Thor."

"With such charm, it's a wonder why," she muttered as she put down the whetstone and grabbed a leather strop to remove the burrs on the blade.

"And you really apologized to Loki for being offered to him?" Lofn was practically in tears with laughter, and Sigyn was grateful she had put down the sword lest she injure herself.

"No," she ground out. "I apologized because I had no intentions on seeing Thor's offer through."

Sobering up somewhat, Lofn smiled as she resumed polishing the sword. "Honestly, Sigyn, I'm surprised you didn't slap him."

"As lovely as I'm sure the prisons are, I have no desire to actually see them." She set down the polishing cloth as she spoke and inspected the dagger for any imperfections. When she saw none she smiled. "Time to test it." Her grin grew as she threw the dagger into the outer rim of the target across the room; it was the first time she had hit the target and not the wall.

"Very nice."

The voice was neither Lofn's nor her father's, though it was familiar. Sigyn slowly turned to see both princes of Asgard standing at the entrance. Despite the smile she put on as she courtseyed, she found her former anger returning as her elation diminished. Though she had to admit she was happy to see that Loki had accompanied his brother. Perhaps he would temper Thor's natural inclination to flirt, as he always seemed to when they visited.

"Your Highness...es…." She cringed inwardly at her own greeting. That was awkward. When she looked up she saw Loki shaking with silent laughter and Thor smiling. Perfect.

"Lady Sigyn," Thor began, still smiling as brightly as ever, "I have come to apologize. I fear both my words and actions last night may have been inappropriate, and I regret them deeply. Please accept my most sincere apologies."

It would take a lot more than that to make Sigyn forget her anger. But considering that Thor was the crown prince and her father, who was in the forge not twenty feet away, would use her remains to make his next sword if she declined the apology, she forced a smile and accepted. "I accept your apology, My Prince. No harm was done."

"Sigyn! Where is my -," Iwaldi chose that moment to interrupt and for once she was grateful. He held a rough, freshly cooled blade in his hand.

"Ah, Iwaldi!" Thor greeted. How anyone could possibly smile so brilliantly and so often was a puzzle to Sigyn. "Have you any new weapons to show me?"

"Your Highness!" her father boomed, dropping into a low bow. "Of course. Follow me!"

The notion of her father, the dwarf, dropping into a low bow made her cough into her fist to hide a smirk. "He'll be looking for his file when he finishes showing off," Sigyn muttered to Lofn.

"I'll get it." Her sister bounced off with a smirk on her face, leaving Sigyn and Loki alone. Again.

"This blade beautiful," the prince muttered as he pulled the dagger from where it had embedded in the target. He tested the balance and ran a finger along the edge as he inspected it.

"I wouldn't say that just yet. I haven't even put a handle on it. That will change the balance and weight, and I'll have to -," she broke off at the younger prince's stare. "What?"

"You made this?"

Fighting to keep the irritation from her voice, she approached him. "You sound surprised."

"Perhaps I am," he admitted cautiously.

"My mother was a Valkyrie, my father forges weapons for your father and his Einherjar. I wouldn't have thought it that surprising."

"Look at your sister," the prince replied with a smirk.

He had a point. Since she could not find a suitable reply, she took the blade back and softly confessed, "it is only a first attempt." For the second time in as many meetings she found herself blushing in front of him. She turned away from him to resume polishing the blade and hide her blush. While she knew it was far from beautiful, as Loki had called it, it still functioned well enough as was evidenced by her use of it on the target. And she neglected to mention the half dozen clumps of metal she had had to dispose of before coming to this one. It was hard to find the correct temperature for the forge. Technically, though, this was her first dagger as the others had not actually become more than metal lumps.

"Why did you lie to my brother about accepting his apology?"

Sigyn froze. Of course he would know. This was the man the Midgardians called the God of Lies.

"I'm not angry, I simply want to know why."

Before she could stop herself she blurted out, "he called me a heifer."

"He called me a cow."

She turned to face Loki, biting back her gut reaction to ask if Thor even knew what a cow was. "He spoke as though I was not there and acted as though I were an object to be given to you. Like...like a drink or…."

"Or a dagger?" he asked, amusement shining in his eyes.

With a sigh she put the blade down on the counter. "He didn't come here out of genuine regret. If someone had not forced him to, your brother would have forgotten I even existed. He's visited my father's forge hundreds, possibly thousands of times and has never thought twice about what he's said to me. Half the time he confuses me with my sister. Lofn occasionally serves as your mother's handmaiden, and I will wager the news was passed along to her and she forced the apology. The only reason he's here is because he had no choice."

"Thor would forget his own name, were he not constantly reminded of it. He means no offense by forgetting yours." Loki took a step closer. "My brother may have been forced to come here by our mother, but that does not make his apology any less sincere."

Sigyn grappled with her reply for a moment. While she did not want to forgive Thor, she knew Loki had a point. "I suppose," she began slowly, "that when you're used to dealing with women who believe there are Frost Giants in Nornheim, it's easy to forget some of us are not so easily enthralled by title."

When Loki laughed she froze. She had just spoken of the lure of title to a prince. "Not that I don't respect your titles," she backpedaled

"There aren't many who look to me for my title. Second in line to the throne is by far less impressive," he told her as he sobered up, though the twinkle in his eyes remained. "I was more amused by the idea of Frost Giants in Nornheim."

"Ah. Unfortunately I did not make that up. Rock Trolls became Frost Giants to one drunken Lady last night. I suppose that sounds more impressive."

"Well, the Rock Trolls were nothing to be trifled with, I can assure you."

"But when was the last time you heard a parent threaten their child with the wrath of a Rock Troll for not finishing their chores?" she grinned back at the prince. "I'd certainly rather not run into either, though."

"With your skill with a dagger, I'm sure you'd make a formidable opponent, Lady Sigyn."

"I barely even hit the target itself, let alone the centre." As much as she might have preferred to avoid it if asked, Sigyn had to admit she was starting to enjoy his company. "If faced with an actual threat, I believe I would find myself lacking. I'm not my mother. I am no Valkyrie."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. There are many who couldn't have even hit the target at all, yet you did so with practised ease."

Lofn chose that moment to return, saving Sigyn from having to reply. "Father is yelling at Grimnir again. He's threatening to send him to Valhalla personally if he doesn't stop wasting all his imported metal."

Behind her Thor returned to the front of the shop, looking nervous. Only Iwaldi could make a son of the house of Odin nervous with his anger. "We should go, brother."

"It was lovely to see you again, Lady Sigyn," Loki bid farewell with a slight bow.

"Your Highness," she courtseyed back.

"Lady Sigyn," Thor began. He seemed to think better of whatever he had originally meant to say, though. "Lady Sigyn, it would be my honour if you would join us for our midday meal tomorrow. Consider it my penance for dishonouring you at the banquet." Before she could refuse, he grinned knowingly. "I could always ask your father for your company."

Suppressing a grimace, she pursed her lips tightly together. "Tomorrow, then," she agreed with a slight inclination of her head.

As soon as both princes were gone she turned back to the shop. Purposely ignoring Lofn's reaction, she took the file from her so she could go rescue Grimnir.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of this :)

* * *

Entering the royal palace of Asgard was intimidating enough when accompanied by your friends and family, entering it completely on your own was utterly terrifying. At the gates Sigyn was met by two guards who were there to escort her to the princes. It was all a bit surreal.

As she was escorted through the doors to the smaller hall where the princes waited, she was surprised to find that Thor's companions were also in the hall. Was it more comforting to have them there or less? She was not sure. Suddenly she found herself wishing she had Lofn with her. Lofn would calm her nerves and take some of the focus off of her, which would be nice considering that everyone was now looking at her.

Thor saved her from having to speak up when he approached her with a warm smile and a hand extended. "Lady Sigyn, welcome." She placed her hand in his and he kissed it. "May I introduce my companions? Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg," he began, pointing to each in turn, "and the Lady Sif."

Sigyn greeted them with friendly smiles, noting that the smile Sif offered in return was rather tight. When she got to Fandral, he took her hand and kissed it much as Thor had. "Lady Sigyn, truly a pleasure."

Since she had no idea how to react to him, she smiled tightly.

"And you know my brother, Loki," Thor continued. Was it just her or was his grin wider?

Across the room, Loki inclined his head in acknowledgement and dismissed her by turning back to the view of the city he had been admiring. One of her eyebrows arched involuntarily. The previous day he had been quite amicable and pleasant, now he was dismissing her as though she bothered him. Since she was not really sure what to say, she ignored Loki and turned back to Thor. "Thank you for inviting me."

"It was the least I could do to prove the sincerity of my regret for my behaviour."

Sigyn cringed inwardly. Had he heard her conversation with his brother? Rather than dwell on that, she allowed the prince to lead her to the table. She cast a glance over her shoulder at Loki and noticed him sigh irritably as he followed them. Fandral pulled out a chair for her and gestured for her to sit, then took the seat to her left. That left only the seat on her right still available by the time Loki got to the table.

While Loki subtlely slid his chair away from her a few inches, Fandral slid closer by the same distance. Though it was tempting to slide her own chair and even the spacing back out, Sigyn smiled tightly and thanked the servant for the wine he poured. The meal had barely begun and she already had the feeling she would be running out of the castle the moment it was over.

As the meal continued, she found herself falling into an easy conversation with Volstagg about the food being served. It was not quality conversation by far, but it was amusing and it took her mind off of wanting to make a dash for the door.

"I almost can't wait for dessert!" Volstagg exclaimed with a manic grin as he plowed through his second plate of the evening.

Sigyn grinned in reply. It was easy to see why Thor had ordered so much food as she watched Volstagg begin piling food on his plate again, while she was barely through her first helping.

"Lady Sigyn," Fandral interrupted, "Thor has mentioned that you assist your father in his forge."

"Yes," she replied curtly, hoping against hope that his line of questioning would not turn into some awful euphemism wherein he would ask her to polish his longsword.

Fandral blinked and tore his gaze away from her to look at Thor with a raised eyebrow. Whatever Thor's reply was, it obviously encouraged Fandral to press on. "And what is it you do there, Milady?"

"Whatever it is my father requires of me. I'm afraid I'm not terribly knowledgeable on the subject of weaponry." Stuffing a forkful of meat in her mouth so she could not elaborate further even if she had wanted to, Sigyn prayed that her answer would end the line of questioning. Fandral's attentions were more than unnerving. Not to mention that she was not the least bit interested in becoming another conquest of his. And that seemingly endless spring of cheer he had was exhausting!

"Come, Sigyn! Don't be so modest!" Thor exclaimed happily. "Loki tells me you crafted that dagger you threw so expertly at the forge."

Before she could stop herself she shot Loki a glare that she hoped would accurately depict how she felt about his betrayal. But the traitor would not even look at her. He was preoccupied with a troublesome vegetable on his plate that stubbornly refused to be skewered by his fork. Resigned to having to admit she did indeed know about smithing, she sighed. "My skills are not quite so extensive as my father's. I would hardly say my knowledge is even passable."

"You are angry at my brother for telling me!" Thor laughed.

Sigyn grit her teeth, then relaxed. "It was merely a first attempt that I wound up melting back down."

Loki finally looked up at her at that, surprise plain on his features, then immediately returned his focus to his plate when Thor noticed. There was something in Thor's eyes that Sigyn could not read.

"You are too modest," Fandral purred. "Regardless of the quality of the dagger, I heard you hit the target."

"Yes," was her only reply once again. Was that a snort of laughter she had heard from her other side? Casting a glance around the table, she took note that nobody else seemed to notice. Perhaps she had imagined it.

"Only someone with great skill could do such a thing," Fandral pressed on.

"Or luck," she countered, eyeing the meat on her plate. Perhaps a sharp, violent stab at the meat would be too subtle?

Still not taking the hint, Fandral beamed at her as he took her wine goblet to refill. Again. Honestly, it was as though she were a child incapable of filling her own glass without dirtying everything!

Suppressing a grimace, she decided to forgo all subtlety and just stab at the meat. Fandral looked down in surprise at her broken fork. "Oh dear, let me get you another. I can replenish our wine while I'm up."

Wincing, she muttered an apology that Thor merely laughed off. "Do not worry, Sigyn."

"Honestly, I did not intend to be so rough."

"It's alright," Thor insisted, still grinning. Did he ever stop or was he eternally cheerful? That certainly seemed to fit with the rumours of him never fretting, be it over consequences or appearances. By contrast, Loki always seemed to be observing everything. Even now as he pushed at the remainder of food on his plate he seemed to be taking in the entire room.

Sigyn suppressed a grin as she recalled a passage in a book on Midgardian mythos she had snuck a look at as a youth. It told the tale of Prometheus and Epimetheus. The tale itself was hazy in her memory - something along the lines of stealing fire and a bird eating someone's liver - but she recalled with great clarity the meaning of the names: forethought and afterthought. It seemed to describe the brothers exactly. Though she had only known the pair a short time, Thor always appeared to act with no consideration of consequence, while everything Loki did felt carefully weighed in the balance and purposeful.

Her father had been so angry when he had discovered her hiding with that book instead of doing her chores.

Fandral's return interrupted her reverie and as he pulled out his chair, the chair went sliding farther back than he had apparently intended. The man crashed to the ground and the wine he was carrying went everywhere, including a few splashes on her dress, while the fork broke under the weight of his body in the fall. Sigyn fought hard to hide her amusement as all but herself and Loki rushed to his aid. Served him right, as far as she was concerned.

As the others helped Fandral up, through his insistence that nothing was more bruised than his own ego, she put down her fork and schooled her features to be less amused than she actually was. Hopefully nobody had noticed her lack of sympathy.

After that incident the rest of the meal passed with comparative ease. Fandral had ceased flirting with her and treating her as though she were unable to help herself at a meal. And Loki seemed to have moved his chair closer again. Though she may have been imagining that as he did not act any differently toward her for the remainder of the evening, still as silent as ever and never once looking at her.

When the meal was over and some polite conversation had been made, Sigyn made her goodbyes. While he had ceased his flirting, Fandral nonetheless kissed her hand as he bade her farewell. Sif and Hogun were very short in their dismissals. And Loki remained at the balcony, glancing over his shoulder with a nod.

Thor, however, escorted her right to the palace gates, chatting away the whole time.

"Again, Lady Sigyn, I wish to apologize. I fear you did not have as grand a time as I had hoped."

Why was Thor apologizing for Fandral's behaviour? He could no more control the man than she could. "No need to apologize, My Prince. Fandral was no bother. Well, maybe a bit of a bother, but not enough to dampen my spirits."

"And what of Loki?" Thor asked with a hint of a mischievous smile.

Sigyn took a moment to consider her reply and word it in her mind first. Loki had not been so bad for the majority of the meal. Granted he had started off acting like an ass, but he came around. Sort of. "He was no bother at all, My Prince."

Thor laughed. "No, I don't suppose he was."

With an agreement that she would dine with them again, Sigyn took her leave.

Though she tried to distract herself with stops at merchant stalls and twists down paths she had never taken to get home, her mind continually wandered back to Loki's actions. He had been so cold at first, then after Fandral had fallen he, comparatively at least, warmed up a bit. Had he moved his chair closer? It certainly had seemed that way at the time. And why did Thor ask how she had felt about Loki's behaviour? The meal had been intended as supplication for his slights at the banquet, not a forum to showcase his brother's manners or lack thereof.

So lost in thought was she that when she rounded the next corner down a deserted corridor and a hand grabbed at her wrist, she spun around on reflex and shot out with a heavy slap. Sigyn cried out in surprise as she realized that the man who had grabbed her wrist, the man now sprawled on the ground, was none other than Loki.

"My apologies, My Prince!"

"Worry not, Lady Sigyn. I consider it a lesson learned in sneaking up on you," he laughed, picking himself up off the ground.

"Is the lesson to never sneak up on me?" she asked warily.

"No," he replied, still smirking, "it is to be more prepared next time."

"I...next time? You spent the entire time I was at the palace ignoring me!" If there was a way for this to become more confusing, Sigyn was not certain she wanted to know.

Loki's smile was worrisome. "That was more for my brother's benefit than anything else. If he knew we got along, I wouldn't hear the end of it. I want to be certain you're worth that price."

One of her eyebrows shot up nearly to her hairline, she was certain. "Now who speaks as though I am a possession?"

"You misunderstand me, Milady."

"How could I have possibly misunderstood that?" she challenged.

Loki smirked. "I would have thought you to be more appreciative of my plight, given how you lie to your father?" Before she could open her mouth to protest, he continued, "or am I mistaken and he knew of your trip to the palace today?" His eyes danced with the knowledge that he had her as her mouth clamped shut. "I thought not."

Rather than argue the point, she asked, "why did you follow me?"

"Why did you laugh at Fandral's misfortune?" he countered.

Sigyn started. The question was certainly not what she had expected. Granted, though, that she had no idea what she had expected, but that most definitely was not it. "I...well, he…," she sputtered out. Should she go with honesty and hope he was not angry? Then again, she was not the only one to not fumble to assist the fallen man. "He deserved it, I suppose."

The only reply she received was Loki's arched eyebrow, so she continued, "he would not leave me alone! He kept refilling my glass as though I were incapable! And he -." Pieces snapped together in her mind as the prince's expression became more smug. "You made him fall? Why?"

"Perhaps yours weren't the only nerves he was getting on." The prince offered her the crook of his arm, continuing her journey the moment she threaded her arm in his.

"Is that why you followed me? You wanted to find out why I laughed at your trick?"

"I was intrigued," he admitted slowly. "There are not many who appreciate my tricks, let alone laugh at them."

"And here I believed I had hidden my amusement well enough," she grinned.

"Only from those more engrossed in Fandral's well-being."

Sigyn bit her lip, trying to tone down her smile. Had he been watching her, then? "More engrossed in his well-being than…?" But Loki continued staring ahead and did not elaborate further, so she nodded. "Honestly, it wasn't as though he'd fallen that far. Or landed on the tongs of the fork." An image of Fandral with a fork in his backside sprung to mind and she giggled at the thought.

"Next time," he chuckled.

"I look forward to it," she confessed. "Though I suppose it will have to be a different sort of trick, lest it become boring."

Loki's eyes shone with mischief as he looked down at her. "What have you in mind, Milady?"

Her brows furrowed as she tried to come up with something. "I'm...I'm not certain I have anything specific in mind yet, My Prince." The beginnings of an idea were forming in her mind, but it was nothing solid, so she settled on simply saying, "I am quite positive, though, that whatever we do will be best done as publicly as possible. When is the next banquet at the palace?"

Musical laughter rang in her ears. "Lady Sigyn, I do believe you have a devious streak that none would dare suspect!"

In all likelihood those devious tendencies would only be nourished by one such as he, but Sigyn did not voice her suspicion. Instead she asked, "does this mean I can expect your company at the next banquet?"

"As I said before, we shall see if you're worth that price."

The only reply she could offer was a brilliant grin. Their arms still linked as they were, when Loki halted she was jerked backward a little. How had they come so close to her home in so short a time?

"Apologies, Lady Sigyn, but this is where we part." He grinned down at her and added, "for both our sakes."

With a nod Sigyn said, "I am glad that the Loki I saw at the palace is not the real Loki. I understand why now, but I must say I like this version of you a lot more."

Loki smiled and slid her arm from his to hold both her hands. "Meet me tomorrow."

"Where?" she asked without thinking. Not that it mattered as she would have agreed anyway.

"The palace library. Follow the path to your left to its very end. You'll see books on the history and application of magic. I will find you there."

"You'll find me?" she asked, arching an amused eyebrow.

"I will."

Once they agreed upon a time, she watched the prince go until he was out of her sight. It was only then that she realized at some point her lower lip had worried itself between her teeth and she had been chewing on it nervously. There was not a lot of time to dwell on it, though, as she needed to get back home quickly.

Since she had an excess of nervous energy, she decided it would be best to run back to the shop and burn it off. She made it back in record time.


	4. Chapter 4

Although this was not Sigyn's first time visiting the palace library, it was her first time truly looking at it. In the past she had only visited the library with a specific purpose, looking for this book or that. She had never noticed how the light reflected around the walls to ensure not a single part was shrouded in even the tiniest bit of darkness. Nor had she noticed just how massive it was. A smile graced her lips as she took in the sheer beauty of the room for a few moments before heading to her left to find the section where Loki had promised to find her.

One thing that always struck her was just how old some of these books must have been. Between the obviously new books were beautifully faded tomes with worn leather bindings that seemed to give the library its distinct scent. Whenever she opened one of the worn books she revelled in the scent. Lofn had described it as 'mouldy' and 'disgusting', but it was what made the library feel like home when she visited and Sigyn would not trade that smell for anything. In her mind it was what a library should smell like.

As she reached the end of the path she turned down the aisle and began searching for the books on magic, and for Loki. While she had tried not to dwell on it, his comment that he would find her really piqued her curiosity. The library aisles were straight lines, so how would he find her and she would not find him?

Her line of thought was interrupted when she reached the desired section. Though there was no sign of the prince himself, there were numerous books and all of them were old. The entire section smelled strongly of the 'library scent' she loved so much, and it tugged the smile that had been present since entering to a massive grin.

Delicately she ran her fingers over as many of the spines as she could. The softness of the leather felt wonderful. Sigyn would never have known this section existed had Loki not directed her here, and she was grateful he had.

Her fingers came to a stop at what had to be the single largest book in the section, possibly in the entire library. It was a beginners guide to magic. She carefully slid the book out of its place and ghosted her fingers over the cover.

"An excellent choice, Milady," a voice whispered next to her ear.

All at once she jumped, cried out softly in surprise, and managed to drop the largest book in all of Asgard on her foot. "Loki!" she chastised as she bent to pick up the book.

His laughter was the only reply she received.

When she straightened up he took the book from her, smiling. "Not even an apology for causing me to drop the heaviest book in the realm on my foot?" she asked irritably.

"Your foot is fine, if a little sore, but if it helps…." He waved a hand and what little pain there had been vanished.

That was probably as close as she would get to an apology. And if she were being honest, it was not as though her foot had broken. It did not soothe her irritation, though. "So you were waiting here, invisible, to observe what, exactly?" she grumbled.

Loki shifted the book under his arm and offered the other to her, walking further down the aisle as she looped her arm in his. "I have something to show you."

It was no easy task, but she managed to suppress the desire to roll her eyes and walk away. The prince had proven himself capable of interesting conversation and making her laugh already, and there was no reason to let his lack of answer get under her skin. And it was certainly possible, though not likely, that he himself did not have the answers, she conceded to herself.

"Will you at least answer me this: why not put the book back?"

"You're going to take it with you to read," he answered simply. "I saw the look in your eyes as they lit on the book. Don't tell me you don't want to take it."

That made her smile, in spite of how badly she wanted to stay upset. "I do want to take it and read it. I know very little of magic and it always amazes me to see it used."

"Lofn practises magic, does she not?"

Sigyn sighed. "Yes. But I never managed to pick it up. Perhaps I'm fated for other things."

Loki shook his head. "There is magic in you, Lady Sigyn. You merely require the right teacher."

Despite how hard she tried, she could not come up with an adequate response, so she tucked in closer and tightened her grip on his arm. "So, where are you leading me, My Prince?"

"Am I only 'Loki' when I frighten you?" he laughed.

It would do her no good for him to see her blush, so she ducked her head and bit her lip to stop the giggle she felt coming. In all honesty, she had no reply to that and felt a bit silly for not knowing what to call the man she was currently draped on.

"No more 'My Prince', Lady Sigyn." At the end of the aisle, he steered her to the right. "Unless, of course, we're in a more formal setting and protocol demands it"

She nodded and brought her head back up, fairly confident her cheeks had returned to their usual colouring. "Then I must insist on 'Sigyn' when we are alone." Upon his agreement, she looked around and took in their surroundings. While the section Loki had asked her to meet him in was an unexplored area to her, the section they were now in suprised her with its existence. "I had no idea the library was this large," she gasped.

"We are heading into the private area, reserved for my family and our friends alone."

"I am your friend?" she asked, smiling as she continued to observe her surroundings. It seemed the most beautiful parts of the library were reserved for the royal family.

"You are," he confirmed.

"But we shall see where this friendship takes us before confirming it to the world," she stated, turning back to him with her smile still threatening to split her face in two.

"I doubt either of us is prepared for the barrage of endless questions quite yet," came the amused reply. Their journey ended on the other side of a large set of guarded double doors, where Loki brought her to a bay window and invited her to take a seat.

After a few awkward minutes, the conversation became comfortable and easy. Before she knew it an hour had passed and she found herself curled up next to Loki with his arm draped around her as they discussed a book they had both read on human physiology on Midgard.

"Now you are making fun, Loki!" she laughed.

"On my honour, humans have evolved tails," he swore. His handsome features were schooled to reflect the picture of pure innocence, but she knew better. Behind the innocence was merriment in his eyes.

A dubious look crossed her features. "The book says nothing of it!"

"It is an older reference."

Sigyn sputtered with laughter. "God of lies, indeed!"

Loki feigned offense. "Do you impugn my honour, Lady Sigyn?" he cried melodramatically.

"Your honour?" she giggled. "You have all but admitted you have none."

"'None' may be a bit of an exaggeration." Was that irritability in his voice?

Maybe if she was equally ridiculous in her reply, he would be less upset and forgive her. "My apologies, My Prince. I would never purposely impugn any part of you, least of all your honour," she smirked.

"This time I shall accept your apology, Milady, but see that it does not happen again."

Sigyn nearly flinched. His words were clearly in jest, but there was an edge to them that left no room for mistake. The prince was upset. Perhaps Lofn was correct when she suggested that Sigyn did not know when to hold her tongue.

Underneath her Loki shifted and moved to stand, tucking the book she would be taking under his arm again. "Sadly, Sigyn, I have an appointment with my father and brother that I must keep."

"Alright," she agreed, taking the hand he offered to help her up.

Even though he held tightly to her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm again, Sigyn worried that she had managed to do irreparable damage. Of course she knew that Loki was not a man without any honour!

"Will you be alright to carry this book back while riding?"

The unexpected question shook her from her thoughts. "I will manage, thank you -," she nearly addressed him as 'Loki' but was uncertain that was proper or permitted any longer. Looking up finally she realized that Loki was taking her a different way through the library. Was this just a quicker way out? Did he want to be rid of her?

A surprised gasp escaped Sigyn as, when they rounded a corner, they nearly walked into Queen Frigga. Naturally Loki was the first to recover.

"Apologies, mother," he uttered with a formal bow.

Queen Frigga's unexpected appearance seemed to make Sigyn's voice disappear, so she simply courtseyed and bowed her head.

"Lady Sigyn, what brings you to the palace today with my son?"

Before she could answer for herself, Loki spoke up. "Lady Sigyn mentioned a book she wished to read when Thor and I were at Iwaldi's forge. I offered to assist her in locating it."

The queen angled her head to see the book her son held. "Magic?" she asked. "Lady Lofn knows magic, does she not? Could she not have brought you to the library?"

"Yes, My Queen," Sigyn was finally able to interject on her own behalf. "But I'm afraid she is not a very patient teacher and had other plans today." A part of her wanted to be affronted by the number of times she was asked about her sister's propensity for magic, but she had a feeling the question had been more directed to throw off Loki anyway.

Frigga held her gaze, with a glint in her eyes, for a few moments before turning back to her son. "Well, then, Loki, you'd best see Lady Sigyn back to the stables quickly before you are late to your meeting with your father and brother." As Loki inclined his head in reply, she turned back to Sigyn. "It was lovely to see you, Lady Sigyn. I do hope we will be seeing more of you around the palace."

Simultaneously she courtseyed and Loki bowed, holding the position until Queen Frigga continued on her way. The remainder of the journey to the stables was spent in silence until they reached her horse.

Loki packed the book into her saddlebag without so much as a glance in her direction.

"Shall I have Lofn return the book when I am done?"

The prince started and turned to face her. "Why would Lofn need to return the book?"

Unable to find a suitable reply she busied herself fastening her riding boots and trying to hide her blush. It was beginning to seem increasingly likely that she had incorrectly estimated how upset he had been. Perhaps Lofn's melodramatic ways were rubbing off on her. By the Nine Realms, she hoped not.

"Sigyn, I will send you a note tomorrow. You have my word," he promised as he bent down to help her secure the last fastening on her boot.

Again at a loss for words she simply nodded. With the boot secured, he helped her in mounting her horse. At least, regardless of how awkward she currently felt, the prince was willing to tolerate her again, or so it seemed.


	5. Chapter 5

Three days with no word whatsoever from Loki had Sigyn on edge. Not only was she worried that she had caused irreparable damage, but she was also stuck with no way to fix the situation for another day or so until Freya returned to the city. A large order had come through for her father to replenish weapons lost in a recent battle fought by Odin's personal guard, the Crimson Hawks. With Iwaldi and all his apprentices busy in the forge at their country home, Sigyn, Lofn, and their mother were left to run the trade shop and care for the weapons there.

Reaching across the bench, she grabbed for a file and began filing down the blade her father had entrusted her with when he received a summons to the palace. Across from her Lofn was doing the same.

"Alright, Sigyn, what's the matter?"

"Pardon?" she asked, her head snapping up at the question.

"It's been days that you've done nothing but walk around with that blank expression," her sister grumbled. "You only do that when something's wrong, when you're trying to figure out how to fix it."

"Nothing is wrong, Lofn."

"And when you say 'nothing is wrong', you mean…?" her sister prompted.

Sigyn put the file down with a little more force than she had anticipated, sending a loud 'clang' throughout the workshop. "I mean you ought to leave it, and me, be."

Just as Lofn opened her mouth, no doubt to give some ill-thought remark, Freya walked into the forge. Instead of her original remark, Lofn asked, "is everything alright, mother?" It was unusual for their mother to return home so early when visiting their father.

"Everything is fine," she assured them with a soft smile as she passed. "Uncle Frey is going to be visiting and I would like to make sure our guest chambers are ready for him." A squeal from Lofn made Freya laugh as she rounded the corner.

"I'll wager there's another banquet tonight," Lofn breathed as soon as Freya was out of sight. "Thor, Loki, and their companions returned only this morning from Vanaheim."

Try as she might, she could not stop her curiosity. "Why were they on Vanaheim?"

There was a certain light in Lofn's eyes whenever she gossiped. That light always made Sigyn regret the topic of discussion, regardless of whether she had started it. "A horrid bilgesnipe was terrorizing uncle Frey's estate! The Allfather sent his sons to show goodwill, and their companions would not let them go alone. There were no serious injuries, but they returned only this morning, victorious!"

"No serious injuries?" she echoed. "What sort of injuries were there?" After a beat, she added in, "is uncle Frey alright?" It would do no good for Lofn to know she worried over Loki's safety. Although, she could not figure out why Loki's safety would concern her when he had already clearly discarded her. Perhaps her father was right - she had not the sense to act otherwise.

"Uncle Frey is fine," a voice called from the doorway.

Lofn bounded toward her uncle, nearly knocking him off balance as she slammed into his side with a hug. But Sigyn stayed sat at the bench, working the burrs away with the strop. Both greeted him with happy words, though.

"Lofn, would you be a dear and get the two packages from my cart?"

"You brought us gifts?" she squealed.

Sigyn bit down on her lip to keep from laughing. Every time Frey visited he brought presents, and every time Lofn made that same noise that Sigyn was sure would one day shatter every shard of glass in the workshop.

The very moment Lofn was outside, Frey sat down next to Sigyn and began working the burrs from the sword Lofn had dropped in her haste to greet him. "Would you like to talk about it?" he asked casually.

At least uncle Frey was more tactical than her sister was. "I'm...I'm not certain I know how to yet."

"You let me know when you figure it out, skatten min. I'm not going anywhere...well, not for a few days at least," he added with a soft smile.

"So we are going to a banquet, then?"

"And a glorious banquet it shall be, with that horrid beast roasting on the spit!" Frey laughed.

Sigyn forced a grin, though it was not as difficult as she would have imagined. "I suppose that, despite the last banquet being less than a week ago, Thor will be happy to regale us all with the glory of taking down the monster."

Frey shook his head. "No, no. It was the younger prince who felled the beast."

"Loki?" Sigyn exclaimed in shock. "Loki brought down the bilgesnipe?"

"Indirectly, yes," Frey said. "He tricked the beast and saved us all."

At that moment Lofn returned from their uncle's cart. "You've told them about the banquet, then," Freya laughed as she reappeared in the doorway. Two maids appeared behind her and disappeared just as quickly behind Lofn, no doubt to fetch Frey's bags and ready his chambers.

"I knew it!" Lofn exclaimed.

"All she knew was that uncle Frey had gifts for us," Sigyn explained, grinning. "She nearly shattered my ears with her screech." Nothing could have amused her more than watching her sister torn between getting ready for the banquet and the gifts. Either Lofn would bite her lip clean off or explode from the tense war waging within her.

She was saved from the decision, though, by uncle Frey, who took the packages and told her to go get ready. "The gifts will still be here in the morning, if you're up to opening them," he assured her with a soft glint in his eyes. Knowing Lofn it would be closer to the afternoon before she was up and ready to do anything but lay in bed. If she was even in her own bed, a fact that she managed to hide from everyone in the house but Sigyn.

Before she could contemplate just how Lofn was getting away with that any further, she was dragged bodily from the forge to get ready for the banquet. Though Sigyn herself did not take long, Lofn would want to show off every possible combination of her clothing. Then would come the makeup and hair, and Lofn would insist on trying on every possible combination for the both of them.

All she could do, though, was sigh and follow her sister.

* * *

Truly it was a dizzying sight to watch Lofn dance around the room and pick out dresses to try on, but Sigyn barely noticed it anymore. Had they not grown up together, though, she could imagine it would be quite the trial to sit through. Luckily she had perfected this routine over the years alongside her sister, so she pulled the heavy book she had taken from the royal library - the one Loki had given her to borrow - and turned to the last few pages to finish it.

"Sigyn, are you even listening to me?" Lofn had stopped rummaging through her clothing and was glaring daggers at her.

Sighing, Sigyn tucked a marker into the book. "Do I ever when you get like this? It'd be like you listening to me ramble on about my book," she snickered.

"It's a book on magic. I already know more than you do anyway," Lofn shot back with a smirk.

"May I at least finish it while you rummage through your closet and mine?" Sigyn groused.

"Fine," her sister conceded. "You never pick out anything good for yourself anyway, and I always end up having to put it back. It'll save me time to just pick it out first."

Even the twenty minutes Sigyn managed to stretch out her last few pages to felt too quick for her tastes. Trying on dresses and having to sit still while her sister did up her hair was not her idea of fun. Lofn showed her three dresses to wear and she picked the least ostentatious of the three.

"You're not putting my hair in curls tonight," she warned as she pulled the dress on over her head. "Braid and twist to your hearts content, but if you curl my hair like you did the last time, I'll toss you from the Bifrost and call it an accident."

"Just a few curls," Lofn bargained. "I swear I won't go as far as I did last time."

There was no way she would be able to fasten the back of her own dress, so she backed up for Lofn to help her. "Did you know there's an animal on Midgard called a poodle? You made me look exactly like that, though with a smaller snout."

"Keep that sarcasm up and I'll not help you get ready," came the grouchy reply from behind her.

"You mean I'll be able to dress myself and you won't interfere?"

Lofn huffed angrily. "No," she conceded. "You'd look awful and there's no way I could bear to be seen in public with you." With a final tug the dress was fully laced, and Lofn pushed her forward after tying the final knot.

"Then no curls," Sigyn affirmed as she spun around, kissing her sister on the cheek.

"I suppose I'm lucky to have even got you in that dress."

"And I'm lucky you didn't force me to wear something even more frilly," she countered as she pulled a second sheer dress over the first.

Next it was Lofn's turn for help as she slipped on the first part of her gown. The outfits she wore were always so extravagant and looked uncomfortable. Her dress alone took them twenty minutes to get her into. Deep down Sigyn wished she would never have to wear one of those monstrosities.

It took another hour before Lofn had finished their hair. True to her word she did Sigyn's hair without curls. Instead it was braided and looped at the back of her head while a few wavy strays had been left artfully loose. Her own hair, however, had every last lock in a tight coil and piled up, spilling around her head like a blonde halo.

By the time they made their way to the entrance hall, their mother and uncle were already waiting. Judging by the look in uncle Frey's eyes they had been waiting quite a while. Sigyn offered him a look of apology to which he simply smiled. After one thousand years it was not really a surprise to any of them.

Not for the first time Sigyn found herself envying her father his trade. Because of the order, there was simply no way for him to attend the banquet. Perhaps one day she could begin a trade of her own and use that as an excuse to not attend.

Sadly, any such plans were farther in the future than she would like and were of absolutely no use to her now with her sister bouncing and squealing next to her. Great effort was required to tune out Lofn in the carriage on the way to the palace. It was not as though she needed to hear about how difficult she had made getting ready for Lofn or how she threatened to throw her off the bifrost. Half of what Lofn was complaining about she had done purposely anyway.

Besides she had to steel herself to see Loki again. There was just no way to escape it when the banquet was in honour of something they had done for her uncle. In her mind she had already decided to just be polite and kind, but not above the absolute minimum she was required to be. Logically, she knew that was the best plan, but she was having trouble convincing her body. Her stomach coiled tightly and they had even come close enough to the city to see the front gates of the palace yet. Taking a deep breath, she leaned back in her seat and counted the individual hairs sticking out at the end of her braid.

She had only made it to sixty when Lofn's bouncing took on renewed vigour. The excited shaking and babbling about how lovely the palace looked told her it would not be long before they reached their destination. This was going to be a long night.


	6. Chapter 6

When they finally did reach the palace Sigyn kept to the back of the group, hoping to hide behind her family in case Loki and his family came to greet them. In the back of her mind she wondered if she was just being paranoid. After all, he had been on Vanaheim and only returned this morning. Then again, he did promise to send a note and, honestly, he practised magic and probably could have found a way to do so, even from Vanaheim.

Frigga, however, noticed her hovering at the back of the group and pulled her forward. "You look lovely, Sigyn!" The queen turned to Lofn and said with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "though I expected you would have put more curls in her hair."

"I was threatened on pain of death not to do so, My Queen," Lofn replied with a good-natured smile. Behind that smile, though, Sigyn could see that her sister would hold that over her head later.

"Thank you, My Queen. But the curls…," she paused trying to think of a diplomatic way to phrase it, "the curls did not suit my tastes."

Lofn laughed. "That's not how she put it earlier. She claimed I made her look like some sort of Midgardian animal. What was it called, Sigyn? A poogle?"

"A poodle," Loki's voice cut in from her left. How long had he been standing there? "And she's right."

Immediately after the comment, he had moved on to join Thor in talking to Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun, who had just arrived. Speechless, she wondered if he had actually noticed or if the comment was regarding ladies with that hairstyle in general. Was she blushing? Damn. He may have even been aiming the comment at Lofn for all she knew.

"Pay him no mind, Sigyn," the queen reassured her with a soft smile. "He hasn't the tact that Thor usually has in dealing with ladies."

Biting back her initial comment regarding Thor's lack of manners at her previous banquet, she smiled. "I'm afraid I can't be insulted or upset when he was merely agreeing with my own observation, My Queen."

Frigga chuckled softly. "Very wise, Lady Sigyn. I hope you enjoy the festivities tonight."

"He may not be Thor," Lofn began as soon as the queen had moved off, "but I believe you've caught the attention of a prince." Gossip light up her eyes.

"Oh, please," Sigyn huffed. "That was a general observation. He didn't even stay long enough to make more than the one casual remark before leaving. That hardly constitutes affinity."

"He remembered you!"

"No, he corrected you."

Lofn heaved an exasperated breath before turning to their mother. "You're positive Sigyn was not adopted, mother?"

"Lofn!" their mother chided, with a hint of amusement.

Behind her, uncle Frey's laughter erupted. "The way you two bicker it's a certainty that you're sisters!"

It was a full hour of listening to Lofn gossip with other ladies about hairstyles and who was courting whom before the banquet itself actually got under way. Thankfully uncle Frey had been there to make her laugh and make the time pass more quickly. Were he not there Sigyn was fairly sure she would have gone mad listening to them prattle on; not to mention that Frey distracted her from trying to figure out Loki.

Casting a covert glance down the table, she saw that he was engaged in what seemed to be a spirited discussion with Fandral. Although maybe 'spirited' was the wrong word, as Loki was becoming increasingly agitated. A small smirk spread across her lips as she thought that perhaps it was not the best idea to sit the two of them side-by-side; it appeared that they did not really get along whatsoever.

A kick to her shin brought her attention back to her family, but the only person who appeared to be demanding her attention was uncle Frey. "This thing we're not talking about," he began in a low voice. "It doesn't happen to have anything to do with anyone at the head of the hall, does it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you've been staring down that way for the last five minutes," he chuckled softly. "And it's not the first time I've caught you looking. I don't think anyone else has noticed - Lofn's gossiping, your mother's speaking to one of the Valkyrie, and someone mentioned swords to your father."

"We'll be lucky to hear from him at all tonight, then," she smirked. Frey arched his eyebrow in response and she sighed. "Perhaps," she conceded.

"You haven't slept with Thor, have you?" her uncle joked.

"Yes, I'm pregnant with his child and we're going to run away to Midgard to hide our love from our disapproving families," she replied, straight-faced.

A few people seated near to them jumped nearly out of their seats when Frey's bark of laughter pierced the air. Such loud laughter was common enough after the Allfather and queen left, but any festivities tended to be somewhat less boisterous while they were present out of a form of respect.

A few heads turned, giving a look Sigyn only rarely saw directed at anyone but herself, but Frey either did not notice or did not care. Apparently nobody in the royal family cared either, not one of them turned to look despite the fact that they must have heard. "At least I'm not the only one," she muttered, allowing a small smile to ghost across her face. Ignoring the question in her uncle's eyes, she finished off the wine in her chalice.

"If not Thor, then who?" he asked casually.

"Would you believe me if I said it was the Allfather?"

"One day, skatten min, that mouth of yours will get you into trouble," Frey laughed.

"The trouble, uncle, is that it may already have," she muttered, casting a sidelong glance at Loki.

Frey sighed and looked her dead in the eyes. "I'm only going to say this once, then we return to making merry, Sigyn: any man worth your time wouldn't let your sharp tongue get in the way of romance."

"Lofn's the one who wants romance, uncle," she snorted.

"Just because the two of you have very different ideas of what romance is, doesn't mean you don't want it," Frey corrected.

Before she could reply, they were interrupted by a servant clearing the table and replacing the dinner with dessert. With the chance at a clever retort long gone, Sigyn smiled and began eating the pudding and fruit laid out in front of her. All things considered, Frey probably would have ignored her even if she had had the chance to reply. A large part of why they got on so well was his frankness, and he had said they would go back to making merry.

Surprisingly she managed to go the entire course without looking toward Loki once. A fair part of that had to do with her uncle kicking her under the table every time she showed signs of fading out of the conversation. When the servants came to collect the dishes and everyone stood so the tables could be cleared from the dance floor, Lofn pounced.

"What were you speaking to uncle Frey about? Why did you keep looking at the head of the table?"

Without missing a beat, Sigyn lied, "he was telling me how Loki brought down the bilgesnipe. It's really an unbelievable tale."

"Yes, who would have thought Loki would be the one to save the day," Lofn remarked casually. "Perhaps Thor did him a kindness and let him take down the beast."

Since she had no way to reply without subjecting herself to an informal inquisition from her sister, Sigyn rolled her eyes and smiled politely.

"But the real reason I came to you, Sigyn, is that Halla says she knows a young man she would like to introduce you to!" Going by the expression on her face, the prospect of it all excited Lofn far too much.

"Lofn, no," she laughed. "I will not have you finding me a suitor."

"Well, it's not as though you're doing it."

"Let's go get some wine instead," Sigyn suggested pulling her sister toward the nearest tray. "But I will let you gossip at me all you want about how you were speaking to Bragi. As in the same Bragi you went home with at the last banquet. I have never in all our years seen you with the same Lord twice in a row. He must be special!"

"Oh, Sigyn, you have no idea!" she gushed.

When Lofn went on as she did Sigyn tended to lose all sense of time. Though she had no idea how long her sister had been talking she knew it had been a while when she looked up and saw that her parents and uncle had left, and the Allfather and queen were beginning to say their goodbyes for the evening.

"Lofn, you have a gift for prattling on, you truly do," Sigyn grinned.

"In all fairness, you did ask me about him."

"And I expected your long-winded talking," she conceded. "After a millennium it no longer shocks me. But I am happy for you. And if Bragi can tolerate your talking as your family can, you have undoubtedly found your match."

"I'm going to choose to ignore your jibe and take that as a compliment." The words were haughty in tone, but there was no mistaking the glimmer of amusement in her sister's eyes. "Now, let's have another glass of wine before I go to Bragi for a dance."

"Oh, just go have your dance! You and I can have wine at any time, but it's truly a gift for me to get rid of you for an evening," she joked.

It was obvious that her sister wanted to act affronted, but she could not keep the smile from her face. "Fine. I leave you to the torments of the evening on your own, dear sister!"

"Perhaps I can finally unpin my hair!" Sigyn called after her as she danced away.

"Your hair is lovely pinned up, Sigyn," the queen's voice sounded behind her. "Don't you agree, Loki?"

That was absolutely the last thing she had expected. Sigyn tried to erase the shock from her expression as she spun around to courtsey to both the queen and prince. "My Queen," she greeted. "My Prince."

"It's hair, mother," Loki sighed. "I don't see what all the fuss is."

The queen chided her son with a light slap to his arm. "Nevermind him, Sigyn. We were curious, did you enjoy that book you borrowed?"

"Yes, My Queen. I was barely able to put it down, and finished it just this afternoon as we were getting ready for the banquet!" It was hard to contain her excitement on such a fascinating subject as magic, even around the queen herself. "I only hope that one day I can learn to do magic of my own, rather than just read about it in books and watch others perform it."

"Everyone has magic in them," Frigga assured her with a soft smile. "Isn't that right, Loki?"

"I'm sure, Mother."

The prince was making it extremely difficult for her not to laugh at his annoyance and resistance to his mother. Honestly, she could not understand why the queen would bother to force Loki into the conversation anyway. "Perhaps the prince finds our conversation uninteresting," she suggested, trying to hide her grin. "We could always discuss his success on Vanaheim?"

"I'd really rather we didn't," he groaned.

"You should be more proud of your victory, Loki," Frigga encouraged him.

"I might be more proud if people believed it was more than just fantasy, or a favour from Thor," Loki ground out.

Before she could stop herself, Sigyn huffed, "what utter nonsense! Anyone who has seen your skill in combat would know you were more than capable."

Though she did not say a word, the queen regarded her with a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"And when have you seen me in combat to know this?"

Every time she opened her mouth around the prince lately it seemed she could not stop herself from saying something she should not have. "Lofn and I have...we have passed the training fields on walks," she confessed, trying to force back the burning in her cheeks. "You are quite skilled and I have no doubt in my mind of what you have done for my family." Not wanting to continue the conversation and risk further blushing, Sigyn turned back to the queen and redirected the conversation. "Can you recommend me any further reading on magic, My Queen?"

"There are many books I could recommend in our library. I have been quite busy lately, though, perhaps Loki could -."

"Mother, I believe father grows impatient and would like to retire," Loki interrupted her, inclining his head to where the All Father waited near the door. Before she could even reply he had already begun steering her away.

Although she would not presume to know the All Father better than Loki did, he certainly did not seem to be impatient or tired. In fact, he was chatting away happily with none other than her father. The only alternative remaining was that he no more wanted her talking to his mother than his brother. Whether it was because he was still angry or because he thought she would grieve him much as Thor would, Sigyn could not tell.

Instead she smiled politely and bid both farewell, with a promise to the queen she would return the book to the library at her earliest convenience so they could discuss what she thought of it.

That night when she returned to her home, she found a note on her bed. Nothing more than the title of a book was written on it, but it made Sigyn's heart feel instantly lighter.


End file.
